


Ten Million Ways To Love Somebody

by slashter



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe, Knotting, M/M, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-23
Updated: 2013-09-22
Packaged: 2017-12-27 09:27:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/977156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashter/pseuds/slashter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>"I'm your Alpha, Louis. You're my Omega. This is our flat. We met, like, three years ago?"</i><br/><i>"Yeah, we did, at the X-Factor auditions. Wait, I'm your </i>what?"<br/><i>"What's the X-Factor?"</i><br/><i>Louis is about to reply when realization dawns on him and he inhales sharply. No way.</i><br/><i>"I..." He starts, licking his lips. It's weird, definitely, but there literally isn't any other explanation for this. "I don't think I'm your Louis." He offers, watching Harry's brow furrow more.</i><br/><i>"What?"</i><br/><i>"Because you're definitely not my Harry?"</i></p>
<p>[Or the one where Louis and Omega!Louis switch places and there's basically a lot of confusion and feelings and sex]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Polski available: [Ten Million Ways To Love Somebody](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5706043) by [Fu3go](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fu3go/pseuds/Fu3go)



> HEYO rev up those fryers because it's my first A/B/O fic!!  
> For those of you unfamiliar with the Alpha/Beta/Omega verse, [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/403644/chapters/665489) is an A+ primer I'd suggest you skim through before starting this fic, otherwise you'll get all confused and stuff, guaranteed.   
> (Just note that my fic doesn't necessarily follow all the points listed in the primer--a lot of authors vary from what's written on there, but it's a great starting point for everyone to be aware of, if you're reading/writing fic in this verse!)
> 
> Anyways, yeah, I hope you guys like this, I started this so long ago and finally got around to dusting it off and finishing it just recently. Story of my life, tbh.  
> Also there's SO MUCH CHEESE FML I'M SORRY but not really but yeah
> 
> Big mucho grande THANKS AND ILY to [Mattie](http://archiveofourown.org/users/feelsforbreakfast) for the beta especially since she'd never read an A/B/O fic before and had to carefully tiptoe her way through the primer so she wouldn't ruin her whole life or whatever. She left many helpful useful comments such as: "THAT WAS CUTE AND ALSO WEIRD."  
> (But really though this fic would've been nothing without her help, it would've sucked so bad, so I owe so much to her)
> 
> ~Title is from Whenever, Wherever by Shakira
> 
> **Disclaimer:**  
>  I don't know anyone in 1D or anyone who works at Radio 1 or anyone else mentioned in this story. This work is purely a piece of fiction.

\------

The first thing Louis notices is that he's shit his pants.Which is a new low, even for him.

The next is that he's not in his hotel room. Rather, he's in his own bedroom, though the curtains are drawn. It's stupid, because the reason he picked this bedroom was almost solely for the huge ceiling-to-floor windows that filled his room with light and gave him the most fantastic view of London he'd ever seen. 

So he decides to get up and open the drapes, except that as soon as he shifts, a wave of _something_ sweeps over him, and he suddenly has all the breath knocked out of him. He's sweating now, profusely, and he's warm, growing hotter by the second, and he wants to scream, to call out for help, but all he can manage is a weak groan. 

 

His phone rings, and be winces at the proximity of the noise, though it's just on vibrate. He reaches over and grabs it, pressing it to his ear. 

"Hello?" He croaks out, and he hears a relieved sigh on the other end.

"Lou? Thank _god_. Okay, my train got delayed, but I'm on my way over right now."

It's Harry. It's _Harry_ , and Louis doesn't know why he feels so calm all of a sudden, but he exhales happily. 

"Okay." He says, his voice still weak. 

"Don't worry, babe, I'll be there soon, all right? Just _breathe_."

"Yeah." Louis breathes. It's not until he hangs up that it hits him. _Babe_? 

As far as Louis knows, it's always been him throwing the pet names around. When did Harry get so lovey-dovey?

Not that Louis is complaining, really. He'll take all the affection he can get from Harry, even though he knows that the boy doesn't really reciprocate the feelings that Louis always feels churning low in his stomach. He always wants to lean down and close those few inches between them, to press his lips against Harry's, but Harry just looks up at him with eyes filled with so much _love_ and Louis doesn't want to break his heart or confuse him or force him into anything. So he just sits back and sighs and continues to card his fingers through Harry's curls. 

 

For some reason, thinking about Harry keeps his mind off of his racing heart and blurry vision. Of course, as soon as he realizes this, that feeling blankets him again, and he's writhing on the sheets. 

He feels something squelch unpleasantly underneath him and he reaches down and feels the wetness that's been leaking out of him. He brings his fingers up to his face and is both surprised and relieved to find out that it's not what he had thought. It's still weird, though, so he reaches down and feels for the source of the drip, maybe some weird cut or bump or--oh. Wow, okay, that's definitely his arsehole. Without really meaning to, Louis slips his index finger inside.

 

His reaction is immediate--he shudders intensely, his vision marred by white spots, and all he wants is more fingers inside him, harder, faster. He's leaking even more now, and his cock's suddenly incredibly hard, every brush against the sheets causing him to shiver involuntarily.

It hits him, out of the blue, that what he's feeling so intently is _arousal_ , and he whimpers into his pillow. All he can think about right now is being fucked, being filled up deep, and the only person on his mind is Harry, who, unhelpfully enough, is on his way over. 

Shit, how is Louis going to explain this to him? He's pretty sure "Uh, hey, Harry, so I know this looks weird but I feel like I might die if you don't fuck me right now and I'm pretty much in love with you so, uh, yeah" won't cut it. He groans louder now, both out of arousal and frustration, and hears a key jiggle in a lock far away. He stills, realizes it's probably Harry, and then panics a bit. 

He looks a right mess. He's sure his face is flushed and he can feel how sweaty his hair is. His bum is still leaking, for Pete's sake, why won't it just _stop_ , and he's sporting a full erection by this point. He's sweating bullets but he still covers himself up with the few blankets spread haphazardly over his bed, so it's not as big of a shock--hopefully--for Harry when he walks in. 

 

"Lou?" Harry calls, tapping at the door. "Honey?"

 _Honey_? Since when? Louis is about to open his mouth to ask just that when the door to his bedroom opens instead and then he suddenly can't do anything but shut up. Because Harry's here. And there's something different about him, a bright glint in his eye, and Louis starts whimpering again without really meaning to. Harry smells, too, but not bad, no, he smells good, _so_ _good_ , and Louis can't help but squirm under his gaze. 

"Fuck, Louis." Harry says, his voice lower than anything Louis has heard before. He's palming himself through his pants and practically panting. He pauses, though, and cocks his head to the side. "Aren't you roasting, babe?"

Before Louis can protest, Harry rips off the covers, and then greedily takes in Louis' naked form. 

"You look _amazing_." Harry growls, and it takes everything Louis has to push Harry away when he leans in. 

Harry freezes, his face a mix of confusion, anger, lust, and surprise. "What's wrong?" He asks, his brow furrowing. 

"I just..." Louis starts, though it's hard to be coherent with all his senses heightened to this level. "Don't you think we should _talk_ about this before we get into it?"

Harry smirks. "I never knew talking dirty was a kink of yours. But yeah, sure, okay." He leans down so that he's hovering over Louis, his mouth just inches away from his ear. "I'm gonna fuck you, Louis." He says, and Louis is almost shaking with anticipation now, shocked out of his mind. "I'm gonna fuck you so hard that you won't be able to walk afterwards. I'm gonna fill you up with so much of my cum--"

"You're gonna _what_?" Louis cries suddenly, crinkling his nose. "Safety first, Haz, I'm not doing this without a condom." 

 

"I--what?" Harry says, leaning back. He looks just plain confused now, and Louis bites his lip. 

"I love you, Harry, but we still have to be, like, safe, y'know, with STIs and everything, and I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with--"

"Okay, okay, hold on." Harry says, and there's something about his tone that immediately makes Louis shut up, even though he doesn't want to. He shifts uncomfortably--he's not sure how much he likes this super-dominant Harry. 

"You're in _heat_ , Louis." Harry says. "You shouldn't even be this coherent. Every other time you've practically been humping my leg when I show up, what's going on?"

"What do you mean, 'every other time'?" Louis says. "Have we...shit Harry, do we do this when I'm drunk? I've never even remembered this, Christ, I--"

"Louis." Harry says, his tone firm. "Where are you?"

"I'm...in my flat. In London. Which is weird because last night, I was definitely in a hotel room in Germany."

"Right..." Harry speaks, chewing on his lip. "Germany. Okay, do you know who I am?"

"Uh...yeah. Harry Styles. 1/5 of One Direction. My best mate."

Harry pauses, watching Louis for a couple minutes before replying. 

"I'm Harry Styles. I'm not sure what One Direction is. And I'm not just your best mate, I'm your _only_ mate."

"...what?"

"I'm your Alpha, Louis. You're my Omega. This is _our_ flat. We met, like, three years ago?"

"Yeah, we did, at the X-Factor auditions. Wait, I'm your _what_?"

"What's the X-Factor?"

Louis is about to reply when realization dawns on him and he inhales sharply. No way.

 

"I..." He starts, licking his lips. It's weird, definitely, but there literally isn't any other explanation for this. "I don't think I'm your Louis." He offers, watching Harry's brow furrow more.

"What?"

"Because you're definitely not my Harry?"

"Lou," Harry says, and he looks so hurt right now, hurt and heartbroken. "What are you saying?"

"No, no, Harry, I--I think I switched places? With your Louis? Who's probably just woken up in a bed in Germany, fuck."

Harry stills. "Uh...okay?"

"All right, back up. You said I'm--I'm in heat. What does that mean?"

Harry raises his eyebrows. "Oh. Wow. You really aren't Louis, are you?"

"Shut up. I'm just as Louis as your Louis."

"Right." Harry replies, a small smile playing at his lips. "Well...you're in heat. It's basically like...a state you get into? It varies from Omega to Omega, really. You need an Alpha's knot."

"And you're an Alpha."

"I'm _your_ Alpha, yeah."

"So you have a...knot?"

Harry blushes a bit. "I _can_ have one, yeah."

"What is that, like some type of friendship bracelet?"

Harry lets out a loud laugh and then clasps his hand over his mouth, chuckling quietly, and Louis smiles fondly because, yeah, this may not be _his_ Harry, but it's Harry, all right. 

 

"Uh...not exactly." Harry replies. "My knot...appears?"

"Right. Okay. How?"

Harry sighs, then looks at Louis for a few moments. 

"My dick."

"Um."

"The knot's on my dick. And you need it."

"Is this, like, some sort of bad pick-up line?"

"Look, Louis. We have to have sex."

"Oh." Louis says, blushing. "Right. That's why you were being all...sexy and stuff, huh?"

Harry chuckles. "Yeah."

"Okay."

"I don't...I don't know how it works for you, I mean..."

"We don't have knots. Or heats. Or any of this Alpha or Omega stuff."

"Wow. Um. That's weird."

"...right."

"So...you don't have sex with your Harry?" 

"N--no, we don't, we just…we don't."

Harry pauses, rubbing his palms on his jeans. "Do you want to?"

"Maybe? I think?"

 

Harry nods, exhaling, and then stands up. "Okay, look, Louis, I'll be frank. Your body--you _need_ this. You need me. Honestly, I have no idea how you've managed to be so collected so far. You're in heat. You shouldn't even be able to form coherent sentences, and I definitely shouldn't be able to walk away from you right now. There's something going on here, like...like you're being _you_ but in _my_ world." 

"But...then that would mean your Louis is being himself in _my_ world, and--"

"Yeah, and apparently, that won't be so pretty."

"Fuck."

"Exactly." Harry smirks. "And as soon as possible."

Louis rolls his eyes but nods. "I--okay. Yeah."

Harry sighs and crawls onto the bed. "Look, sorry if this, like, makes you feel weird?"

"No, I--" Louis says, blushing again. "I think I'll be all right."

"Good." Harry replies, smiling. "Sorry if I get a bit rough."

 

Louis can feel butterflies in his stomach as Harry moves closer, leaning forward to nuzzle into his neck. 

"Mmm, good." Harry says, nipping Louis' jaw. "Your scent's back."

Louis tries to speak but just ends up gasping as Harry nibbles his ear and then turns his head to press their lips together. His stomach swoops and he feels himself getting wetter--which is a really weird thing to think about, let alone experience--and Harry pushes deeper into the kiss, sneaking his tongue past Louis' lips. Louis groans and Harry _growls_ , and then he's pulling back, stripping off his kit. Louis' jaw drops because he's seen Harry naked, of course, and even erect--by 'accident'--but this Harry is _immense_ , and his mouth goes dry wondering about how Harry'll fit inside him. 

Harry seems to read his mind and smirks. "Don't worry." He says, and crawls up the bed till Louis' lying down and he's hovering above him. 

 

"I...I'm so _wet_." Louis whispers, mostly to himself, but Harry nods, leaning down and kissing Louis again. Louis wraps his arms around Harry's shoulders and Harry trails his fingers over Louis' chest, rubbing over his nipples until Louis keens. He doesn't even realize he's so close to coming until Harry continues moving his fingers down, gently stroking Louis' cock. Louis tenses as Harry runs his thumb over the head of his dick and then he's releasing himself into Harry's palm, blinking fast to clear his spotty vision. 

"Fuck," he mumbles, but Harry's relentless, immediately moving down to trace his hole with a long finger. Louis gasps, a bit oversensitized, and circles his hips wildly, desperate for more. Harry leans back to rub his the head of his cock around Louis' entrance, making Louis moan deeply, and then hums appreciatively as he slowly pushes himself inside Louis. 

It's so smooth, the way Harry fills him up, and suddenly a small bit of the raging fire of _want_ inside Louis is extinguished. He lets out a small sigh of satisfaction and then yelps in surprise when Harry pulls out and pounds back into him. Harry brings himself down to his elbows, framing Louis' face with his forearms, and keeps bucking into Louis, biting his lip. Louis can see how blown Harry's pupils are and reaches up to tangle his fingers into Harry's hair, pulling his curls tightly and shuddering at the moan that escapes Harry's lips. 

"It's happening." Harry chokes out, still thrusting into Louis. "Fuck, Lou, I'm so _close_."

 

Louis feels it before Harry can explain it, and he gasps as he feels the knot catch at his hole. 

" _Shit_ ," Harry cries, and pushes in one more time before he's coming. 

And fuck, does he come. Louis can feel him release and waves of relief sweep over him as Harry fills him up. Harry slides his arms underneath Louis and lifts him up, leaning back so he's kneeling with Louis' legs wrapped around his waist. The angle's _amazing_ , and Louis grinds his hips down so that he can feel Harry nudge against his prostate. He's hard again, which is pretty ridiculous, but Harry's still emptying himself into Louis as he wraps his hand around Louis' dick and pumps his hand up and down. Louis' breath hitches as he comes one more time, all over both their chests, and after a while, he can finally feel Harry start to relax. He grinds down again and Harry grunts and slowly leans forward, dropping Louis down on the bed and easing himself out of him. 

 

"Shit." Louis says, and it's like his body is vibrating from some kind of high, though this is nothing compared to any drug he's ever fooled around with. He feels _sated_ , so much more at ease than he's ever felt before, and he tries to get his breathing back on track. 

"Good?" Harry mumbles, leaning in again, and Louis hums against his lips, sighing into the kiss. 

"Yeah. Thanks."

Harry smirks. "It's what I'm here for." He says, pushing Louis' hair back from his forehead. "If we're lucky, you might even get pregnant."

"Funny."

"Why? We've wanted kids for a while now..."

"Wait, you're serious? But I'm a _guy_."

"Yeah, and you're also an Omega. What does you being a guy have to do with it?"

"Like, guys don't become pregnant. Where I'm from."

"Weird."

"Says _you_."

 

Harry chuckles, then cups Louis' cheek and traces his cheekbone with his thumb. 

"You're okay, though, right?"

"Well, I mean, this definitely wasn't what I was expecting by any means, if that's what you were asking."

Harry smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "That disappointing, huh?" He asks, and then Louis realizes that he's actually _hurt_ , worried that he wasn't good enough, worried that Louis didn't notice how much _love_ Harry had infused into his actions.

"No!" He cries, almost shouting. "No, I mean, fuck, yeah, it was great. Amazing, really, Harry, don't worry." He relaxes as he sees Harry's expression clear a bit. "But, like…I don't--this doesn't happen. With me and my Harry, y'know?"

Harry cocks his head. "You said you wanted it to happen, though, right?"

"Um. Yeah."

"So then make it happen."

"It's not that easy, though." Louis explains, sighing. "I love him, yeah, but I don't think he loves me like that. I don't…I don't want to ruin what we already have."

"You won't."

"And how do youknow that?"

"Because I know Harry. Hell, I _am_ Harry."

"Yeah, but you're not--"

"Some things are never going to change, Louis. And one of those things is how I feel about you. And I know for damn sure that Harry loves you. Every Harry Styles in every place ever."

Louis squirms a bit. "You sure?"

"Positive." Harry replies, and pokes Louis in his side, smiling as the boy squeals and giggles. 

"I guess that makes sense, y'know." Louis says, smiling himself as he moves back closer to Harry, craving his touch. He can't tell if the desire to be in constant contact with Harry at all times is a side effect of the heat or something of his own heart's doing, but he doesn't mind either way. "I mean, I've wanted this for a while, truthfully, and it still felt right, even with you. Like, you're not _my_ Harry, but you're still Harry, and I'm pretty sure I'd love you no matter which universe we were in."

"Atta boy." Says Harry, grinning, pulling Louis in for a kiss. 

\------


	2. Chapter 2

\------

The first thing Louis notices is that he's comfortable. Which is really weird, because he's supposed to be in heat. Like, he marked it down on his calendar and everything.

The next is that he's not in his and Harry's bedroom.Rather, he's in some expensive-looking hotel suite, buried under a mountain of pillows and blankets. And sure, it's nice, but he's alone. Harry's nowhere to be found, and his train should've reached by now, and he should be cuddling Louis in bed. Louis pouts, because if Harry had swept them up into a hotel room, he would've _definitely_ told Louis about it. He's sure of it. 

 

Louis stares at the ceiling for a while before hopping out of the bed. He's clothed from the waist down, which is strange, and he's also _covered_ in tattoos, which is even stranger. He spots a suitcase full of his clothes, but none of Harry's, and pulls on a shirt, scowling. A phone buzzes, and Louis scrambles over to it. 

"Hello?" He says breathlessly, and almost cries with joy when the other person speaks.

"Lou!" Harry cries. "Come over! We're having breakfast in Niall's room."

"Wh--Niall?"

"Yeah! He's in 520, scoot your big bum over."

"Uh...okay."

Then Harry hangs up, without even saying bye, and Louis just wants to curl up into a ball and sob. 

 

But no. Harry's being a twat, so Louis is gonna be one too. He sniffs and grabs his room key and phone, jamming on a pair of shoes and walking out of his room and over to Niall's--which is only like 3 rooms down, really, why couldn't Harry have just come over? He taps on the door and hears some shuffling from inside before Zayn opens the door. 

"Loueh!" He cries, winking. "Good to see ya this morning. Wasn't sure you'd be up, considering last night."

" _You're_ here?" Louis says, eyes wide. 

"Uh...yeah?" Zayn says, cocking an eyebrow. 

"Does that mean--Liam, is he--"

"Yeah, Li's here too, mate, obviously, c'mon." 

Zayn grabs Louis' arm and pulls him into Niall's room, and Louis stands, frozen, when Liam spots him. His brow furrows and he walks over to Louis, who tenses up, expecting the worst. 

"Lou." Liam says sternly, placing heavy hands on his shoulders. "Don't _ever_ get that ridiculous again, all right?"

"I--what?"

"Christ!" Niall cries, and Louis turns to see him plopped in a chair, scrolling through something on his phone. "Does he remember _anything_?"

"Remember what?" Louis says, and he's almost screaming now, his voice getting louder and louder. He shoves Liam's hands off his shoulders. "How are you here? It's not safe! How could Harry be so _irresponsible_? He _knew_ it was today!"

 

"Uh, did I forget something?" Harry's voice calls, and Louis whips around to see Harry stumble out of the bathroom, scratching his stomach. As angry as he is, Louis still feels a bit comforted when he sees him walk forward. His shirt lifts up as his hand moves across his torso, and Louis catches a glimpse of a large butterfly inked across his stomach. What the hell?

He walks up to Harry and shoves him, hard. "Is this your idea of a fucking _joke_?" He yells, walking forward as Harry stumbles back. "What are all these tattoos? And why is _Liam_ here?"

"Hey!" Liam calls out.Louis winces, and Harry just stares at him, dumbfounded. 

"Louis, what are you talking about? We just had a free morning today, we thought we'd all get breakfast together before rehearsals and all that. Did--are you and Li in a fight or something?" Harry says, concerned, and Louis' mouth opens but he doesn't know what to say. 

 

"Where are we?" He asks, after a few seconds of silence. 

"Uh, Germany?" Zayn supplies, and chuckles. "Damn, you got _that_ drunk?" He says, before Liam smacks his shoulder and Zayn pouts at him. 

"I...this isn't me. I'm not...like, this isn't my life."

"Yeah, we know mate, it gets a bit surreal. Bit weird that you're still finding it new, but whatever." Niall says, shrugging. 

"No, like--like last night, I was _home_ , in my flat--me and Harry's flat--and Harry was visiting his mum, he was supposed to be back this morning but I woke up in this hotel and--"

"We haven't shared a flat in a while, Lou." Harry says, somewhat bluntly, and Louis' heart falls. _What_? Harry then looks at him curiously. "Are you feeling okay? Do you think you can do the concert tonight?"

"Concert? What concert?"

Harry glances worriedly at the rest of the boys and then looks to Louis again. " _Our_ concert, Lou."

 

Louis laughs but no one else joins him, so he shakes his head, his smile falling, and clears his throat. 

"Um. Okay. Look. I know this is going to sound _really_ weird, but...I don't think I'm who you think I am."

"Louis Tomlinson!" Niall cries. "From Doncaster."

"Grade-A footballer." Zayn adds. 

"Four little sisters." Liam says, nodding. 

"Band member of One Direction." Harry finishes. 

"Uh...I got everything up until Harry. What's One Direction?"

"Um." Harry says, looking around at the other boys for help. 

 

"Look. All right. This isn't me." Louis says, motioning to himself. "I'm Louis Tomlinson from Doncaster with four little sisters, and yeah, I'm a fair footballer, sure, but I've never gotten a tattoo in my _life_. I live in a flat in London with Harry, I work at Harrod's, and I'm an Omega. I'm supposed to be in _heat_ right now."

"You're a what in what?" Zayn asks, and Liam looks concerned.

"So...let me get this straight." Liam says, speaking maddeningly slow. "You're not _our_ Louis?" 

Louis shakes his head slowly. The room's quiet for a second before Niall snaps his fingers and cries, "I got it!"

Four pairs of eyes turn to him and he grins. 

"Louis is an Omega. And you live with Harry, so...he's your Alpha?"

"Yes!" Louis says, nodding excitedly, and Niall smirks.

"It's just like the fanfics!"

"The fan- _what_?" Louis asks.

Zayn rolls his eyes. "Please, Nialler, you told us you stopped with those _ages_ ago."

"Shut up, Zayn. Look," Niall says, standing up excitedly. "It's this alternate universe where people are Alphas or Betas or Omegas. I'm not sure about all the logistics and whatnot, but Louis is an Omega and I think Harry's his mate."

"I'm his _what_?" Harry cries, and Louis scoffs. 

"You don't need to act so offended, Christ." He says, frowning.

"No, Lou, I'm sorry, I just--what?!"

 

"I'm _with_ you." Louis says quietly, and the room goes silent. "I have been. For a while now. I--" Louis looks up at Harry, blinking back tears and shrugging, offering a weak smile. "I love you." 

"Oh." Harry says, swallowing audibly. "Okay."

"Look." Liam announces, standing up, and Louis automatically takes a step back. "I--okay, hold up. Lou, are you _scared_ of me or something?"

Louis just bites his lip and does a one-shouldered shrug, and Liam sighs. "Why?" He asks, and Louis automatically looks at Harry. 

"Uh..." Harry says.

"Liam's an Alpha." Louis says quietly, after rolling his eyes at Harry's response. "I just...like, we have to be careful. One time Liam and Zayn came over and I went into heat and it...wasn't very pleasant."

"Oh. Right." Liam says, and Louis is sure he doesn't fully understand, but he nods anyways. "You know, though, that I'm not an Alpha _here_ , right?"

"Sorry." Louis chews his lip. "Force of habit, I guess."

Liam sighs again. "All right. Look. What I was going to say is that I think we should let Louis and Harry talk for a bit. In private. And I also think we should figure out what's going to happen tonight if this Louis doesn't know any of our songs or choreography."

"Okay." Louis says, nodding, turning to Harry for his approval. 

"Yeah, all right." Harry agrees.

 

"Are you okay?" He asks Louis, once they've made their way to his room. "You seem a bit...jumpy."

"It's weird, Harry, it's weird." Louis says. "We're--you and me, we're not like this. Not this distant, we've never been."

"You said that you loved me."

"I do."

"Do...do I love you?"

Louis laughs half-heartedly. "I certainly hope so."

Harry bites his lip. "How long have we been...together?"

"Almost three years now, I think."

"Right." Harry says, then exhales as he sits down on his bed. "You sure you're okay?"

"Honestly?" Louis says, turning to him. "Not really, no."

"Is there anything I can do?"

Louis stares at him for a minute and then sighs. "What's this Louis like? Your Louis?"

"Louis is..." Harry starts, smiling. "He's amazing. He's my best mate. I love him to pieces."

"Really?" Louis says, stepping closer to Harry. "Do you really love him?"

Harry nods. "It's not just, like, brotherly love, though, like…there's so many moments when things _could_ happen but they never do. I keep trying to tell him how I feel but I don't know how to because I'm just so afraid that he'll run away from everything, and having him close in some way is better than not having him near me at all, y'know?"

"Why would he run away, though?" Louis asks, smiling softly. "What's there to be afraid of?"

Harry gives Louis a sympathetic smile in return and Louis frowns. "It's not as easy as it is where you're from, Lou."

"Oh yeah? Like what, two famous pop stars aren't allowed to be in love here?" Louis snaps, and it's Harry's turn to frown.

"Not if they're both guys, no. Not in most places, and not us."

 

Louis doesn't think his stomach can sink lower than it does when Harry mumbles that. He kind of falls onto the bed, his knees going weak, and he stares at Harry blankly, his mouth agape.

"We can't be in love?"

Harry sighs. "It's…frowned upon, yeah."

Louis' stomach churns and all of a sudden all the sadness transforms into anger and he's fuming, his mouth pressed into a tight line.

"That shouldn't stop you two. That shouldn't stop us." He spits. "I know for a fact that I'm too stubborn to let that stop us."

Harry chuckles darkly and falls back onto his bed. "I wish." He licks his lips and stares at the ceiling, silent for a minute, then starts speaking. "Louis--well, you, I guess, too--he gets a lot of shit. From everyone. People already call him gay like it's a bad thing, and every day there's just loads of people proving to him that if he did come out with me, his life would be more of a living hell than it is already." 

Louis takes this in, his heart thumping wildly as he realizes how easy it'd be for people to get to him, to feed on his insecurities, and feels a wave of sympathy overtake him, both for Louis and Harry. He bites his lip as he feels tears forming, willing himself not to cry.

"And then," Harry starts again, sighing deeply, "there's the question of whether Louis really loves me at all."

"Don't." Louis says, so quickly that he surprises himself. "Don't say that. That's not true, he loves you. He really, truly does, Harry, there's no reason to doubt that."

Harry shakes his head. "I do. If he really loved me, if he really wanted to, he wouldn't care about anything else. _I_ don't. I just want him, I just want to be with him, and he's too afraid to take the next step, so it seems like his heart's not really there. It's like he's doing it out of sympathy, to put me out of my misery." Harry closes his eyes and Louis can tell that he's trying not to cry too. "Sometimes…sometimes it feels like he's about to kiss me, and I always hope that he will, but he never does, and I don't want to force anything. I do love him, and I knows he probably loves me back. But I'm _in_ love with him, Louis, and I don't know if he's there yet."

 

"Well," Louis says, getting onto his knees and crawling over till he's next to Harry. "Maybe you need to help him get there."

Harry shrugs. "I don't know if he ever will, I--" he pauses, opening his eyes and turning to face Louis. "I feel like I'm alone in this."

"You're _not_." Louis says sternly, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. He can vaguely feel how fast Harry's heart rate is getting, and his own stomach jumps. "I promise. I love you, Harry, and I know that I'll always be in love with you, no matter which Harry you are or which Louis I am."

There's a small period of silence during which they just look at each other, and Louis tries his hardest to pour his emotions into his gaze so that Harry can really get what he's saying. He holds his breath as Harry sits up, their foreheads almost touching.

"Yeah?" he asks, and Louis doesn't miss how Harry's eyes flicker down to his own lips. He slowly darts his tongue out and over them, watching how Harry's pupils widen, feeling how his heart beats even faster. 

"Yeah." Louis replies, and leans forward, capturing Harry's lips in a kiss. He feels Harry relax underneath him and he twists his fingers into Harry's hair, swallowing the moan he lets out. Harry breaks off, kissing down Louis' neck and sucking a lovebite into the hollow above his collarbone. He pulls away, and he's actually crying now, and Louis swears his heart's going to burst with adoration. Harry bites his lip and grins, and Louis smiles back. 

"I love you." He says, blinking back tears, and Louis cups his face, wiping away the few that've managed to escape onto his cheeks with his thumbs.

"And I will _always_ love you." Louis murmurs, leaning in to kiss him again.

**\------**


	3. Chapter 3

\------

Louis' hand lightly scratches Harry's scalp as he pulls apart from the kiss. He doesn't know when they fell down onto his bed, but he shuffles around happily, trying to wrap himself tighter around Harry's naked body. 

Wait. What?

He sits up immediately, and then feels a bit woozy. 

"What's up, Lou?" Harry says, stroking Louis' back, which is definitely _not_ clothed at the moment, and Louis rubs his temples. 

"Shit, Harry, what _happened_?"

"Uh...we had sex? I know it might've been a bit new, but trust me, it gets better."

Harry keeps talking, but Louis isn't really listening because he can feel a familiar wetness underneath him. 

 

"Where am I?" He asks suddenly, interrupting Harry, who frowns. 

"Shit, Lou, _again_?" He says.

"Harry. Where am I?" Louis repeats. 

Harry sighs. "You're in our flat, in London. You're an Omega in heat. I'm your Alpha. That means you need me to have sex with you. Also we're not in One Direction, whatever that is." He pauses. "Wait, what _is_ that? It sounds like a cult."

Louis looks down at Harry, beaming. "It's a boyband, apparently. _Our_ boyband."

"Oh. Okay."

"But I'm not in One Direction."

"Uh...what?"

Louis clears his throat, but he can't stop smiling. " _I'm_ not in One Direction. But the _other_ Louis is."

"Lou, what're you--" Harry says, before his eyes widen. "Oh. Wait, then--"

Louis doesn't give Harry a chance to form a sentence, instead choosing to wrap his arms around the other boy's neck and cling to him tightly. "Fuck, Haz, I missed you." He chokes out, his voice catching. Harry easily fits himself around Louis' grip. He slowly rubs a large palm up and down Louis' back, and Louis shivers at how blissfully familiar the feeling is. 

"Shh, babe, it's all right."

"I just--the other Harry, he was so _lost_. He loved Louis but he didn't know what to do and I've never seen you like that--"Louis rambles, but Harry slowly angles his head up and presses a soft kiss to his lips, silencing the boy, and Louis hums his comfort into it. 

 

"I don't think Louis is going to have a problem telling Harry how he feels." Harry says, once they've broken apart. 

Louis cocks his head. "Why not?"

"Well, for starters, I fucked the living daylights out of him."

Louis' eyes widen and he grins but then frowns immediately after. "Wait, you had sex with him?"

"Um. Yeah, I had to, babe. You were going into heat, and he had absolutely no idea what was going on."

Louis twists his way out of Harry's grasp, though as soon as he does so, it's like every cell in his body is screaming for him to return to Harry's touch. "All _I_ did was kiss the other Harry."

Harry sighs. "Look. It was like...he was in your body but he wasn't in heat because he started fighting it. And we figured that if he was acting more like _him_ self, you'd start acting more like _your_ self."

Louis stares at him, confused. 

"You'd be you. In heat. In the other Louis' world."

 

It takes him a moment, but as soon as he gets it, Louis' eyebrows raise high as a small "oh" escapes him. He squirms in place, embarrassed, and regrets it immediately as himself leak onto the sheets. A heavy wave of arousal shoots through him and he gasps, falling forward onto his hands.

"Shit." He moans, unable to stop himself from grinding down on the sheets, his erection already bobbing up. He glances up and takes in Harry, who definitely smelled Louis change just a moment ago and is now slowly stroking his growing length, a guttural noise escaping his lips.

"Harry," Louis pleads, crawling over to him, pressing their foreheads together. He can smell Harry all around him, the room suddenly think with their scents, and can only imagine the thoughts running through the other boy's head at the moment. 

"I--I'm sorry," Louis stutters out, grinding against Harry's hip. "I--Harry, _please_." He begs, his voice breaking, and that's when Harry grabs his hips, and moves Louis so that he's straddling him, their cocks pressed together. Louis looks down and shivers as he sees the difference in size--it's something that still amazes him, just how _big_ Harry is and how he's going to be _inside_ him and oh, god. 

"Harry." Louis tries again, his voice weak. He's shaking now, and he can tell by the way that Harry's pupils are blown that he won't be able to hold himself back any longer. Louis groans and shifts his hips, just a bit, and almost comes right then from the way his cock slides against Harry's. 

 

Harry moans deeply and then growls, easily picking Louis up and moving him so that his bum is pushed back against Harry's length. 

"Ride me." He says, his voice hoarse, but Louis can feel the deep inflection of his Alpha status cut through the shakiness and embed itself into his bones, and he happily succumbs, blindly lifting himself up onto shaking knees and positioning himself right above Harry's cock. He waits until Harry breaks, until he can't keep his cool, because he wants Harry to feel as desperate about this as he does, and it's not long until Harry hisses with impatience and grabs Louis' hips, pushing him down onto him. Louis almost blacks out with relief, Harry's grip the only thing keeping him upright. He blinks slowly as he feels Harry throb inside him, and he can feel that clawing _want_ inside him, the _need_ to be filled up by Harry even more, so he grunts and lifts himself up, slamming back down again and making both him and Harry gasp.

"Fuck, Louis, _fuck_." Harry breathes, keeping a tight hold on Louis' hips that'll definitely leave a bruise. He guides Louis along, helping up and down, bucking his hips up every time Louis bottoms out. 

Louis is completely overwhelmed, eyes closed as he struggles to keep himself upright. When Harry's knot starts to form, he can easily feel it, and he bites his lip in anticipation, so hard that he tastes blood. Harry continues fucking up into him until he finally gives one last thrust, pushing Louis down hard, and then Louis can feel him release. Just the sheer _sensation_ of it is enough to have Louis coming too, cock untouched but still spurting onto Harry's chest. 

" _Harry_." He chokes out, again, grinding himself down as Harry comes, feeling the intense desire within him finally die down. He sighs as he continues to ride it out, waiting for what seems like forever till Harry lets out his familiar gasp of relief. He wiggles his hips up and collapses next to him. 

 

"Shit." Louis says, licking his lips. 

Harry just nods silently, eyes still closed and hair sticking to his forehead. Louis leans over and kisses his eyelids until Harry opens his eyes to look at him. 

"That never gets old." Harry says, humming pleasantly as Louis combs back his hair.

"Yeah, same." Louis agrees, leaning down to nip at Harry's neck. Harry wraps an arm around him and pulls him close, kisses the top of his head.

"Louis loves Harry, y'know." He mumbles, and Louis smirks.

"Are we doing the third-person thing now?" 

"No, you twat." Harry chides, and Louis giggles. "You know what I mean."

"I do." Louis admits, sighing and tucking himself into Harry's side. "Louis will _always_ love Harry."

"Even if they're off in some different world?" Harry asks, smirking, but Louis nods seriously.

"I think--I think we're something...y'know, _special_."

"Yeah?"

"I think that no matter where we are, who we're around, what we end up doing, we'll always find each other, and we'll always fall in love."

Harry grins and then starts chuckling, laughing louder when Louis looks up at him, frowning.

"I was being serious!" Louis says, smacking Harry's shoulder. "And romantic!"

"I'm sorry! I--" Harry stops, grabbing Louis' hands. "He said pretty much the same thing."

"Who?"

"Louis."

"...Oh. Really?"

Harry smirks. "Yup."

"Well, at least we know he's smart." Louis says, smiling, and starts tracing patterns onto Harry's chest. 

 

They both lay in silence for a while, Louis still drawing shapes onto Harry's collarbones."He had tattoos, y'know." He says, remembering the swallows that peeked out from underneath Harry's collar. 

"Who?"

"Harry. And Louis."

Harry's brows raise, and he shrugs. "Makes sense. I was thinking of getting one soon."

Louis looks up, surprised. "Really? What?"

"A giant portrait of you." Harry says, smirking. "Bent over, on your knees. I was gonna get it on my stomach, so my belly button would be your--"

"You _pervert_!" Louis cries, smacking him. "Absolutely disgusting."

Harry wiggles his eyebrows. "Well? What would _you_ get?"

Louis pauses. "Your cock." He says, proudly, giggling nonetheless. "On my ass. As a warning to others, you see."

"Ah, yes, of course." Harry says, then rolls over so he's on his side, his chest pressed to Louis' shoulder. Louis brings his arm over Harry's neck and kisses him slow, hips jerking when Harry's fingers graze his length. 

" _Fuck_." He spits, and he's hard again, the intensity of his heat once again sweeping over him. "You had to go and ruin the moment, didn't you?" He teases, but he knows Harry's picking up on the way his voice is wavering. 

"I don't get to see you this desperate that often, babe." Harry drawls, pressing his fingers lightly around Louis' cock.Louis grunts in approval and thrusts his hips up, sighing happily as Harry jerks him off.

"Wanna fuck you, Lou, again, can I?" Harry asks, his voice low and gruff in Louis' ear, and all Louis can do is gulp and nod erratically. Harry turns again so he's hovering up over Louis, supporting himself on his own forearms. 

"I love you." He says, and Louis can tell that it's not just Harry's hormones talking by the way his eyes flash with warmth. 

"I love you too," Louis replies, biting his lip as Harry slowly enters him. "Always."

\------


	4. Chapter 4

\------

Louis feels Harry hum happily against his lips and he smiles as he pulls back, almost falling over when he realizes he's now upright. When did that happen?

Harry nuzzles Louis' nose with his own. "Thank you." He says, his voice soft. _Too_ soft, really, compared to how authoritative he'd been just a moment ago.Louis freezes, then pulls back. He looks around, taking in the familiar sight of Harry's hotel room, and then sees Harry himself, looking a bit confused, his expression worried.

 

"Harry?" Louis tries, and Harry's brow furrows. 

"Lou, are you okay?" He says, bringing a large, warm hand up to cup Louis' jaw. Louis automatically leans into him and exhales.

"I--are we in Germany?"

"Yeah. I know it's still weird. Sorry."

"No, Harry, I--" Louis tries, biting his lip as he smiles. "I know. We're in Germany. I--did we kiss? We were kissing, right?"

Harry cocks his head. "Well, I mean, _you_ kissed me first, so."

Louis groans, falling back on the bed. "Hazza. It's me."

"What do you--" Harry says, then pauses, his eyes widening. "Oh." He finishes, his voice small. "Hi."

"Hey." Louis returns, but doesn't take his gaze off of the ceiling.

"Right." Harry says, standing up and dusting off his pants for no good reason. "So."

 

Louis clears his throat. "I just had sex with you." He says, and looks over to see Harry stumble over absolutely nothing and collapse on the ground. He sits up. "You good?" He asks.

"Um, yeah." Harry says, then pauses and shakes his head. "Wait, no. What?"

"I was with...the other Harry, y'know. Louis was in heat, or whatever." He sighs, waving his hands around. "Long story short...I slept with you."

"Oh."

"There wasn't actually any sleep involved." Louis adds cheekily, after a moment.

"Okay." Harry says, the corners of his lips twitching up a bit. He fiddles with the bottom of his shirt. "How was it?"

Louis smirks. "Amazing." He watches as Harry tries to hide a small smile and inhales, feeling a knot of anxiety starting to form in his gut as he continues speaking. "Just like I'd always imagined it'd be."

Harry looks up, surprised. "You've imagined it?"

Louis smiles and pushes himself off the bed, walking over to Harry, who's still got his hands tangled in his top. He reaches down and slowly gets his fingers free, wrapping his own around them before pulling him up and guiding Harry's hands around his waist. "Yeah." He says, and catches how Harry glances from his eyes to his mouth. He licks his lips. "Yeah, I have."

 

And then he's kissing Harry, again, but no, this is so much different because it's _his_ Harry, his very own. And Harry's kissing back, pulling Louis tight against his chest, and Louis can't breathe, but it's in the best way possible. He pulls back reluctantly, drinking in Harry's blissful expression and reddening lips. "I love you." He says, and Harry positively beams, his smile lighting up his whole face. 

"Really?"

Louis opens and closes his mouth a couple times before clearing his throat and finally speaking. "I--" he starts, and sighs. "I'm sorry, Harry." 

Harry nods, his expression becoming more serious, but his eyes are wide and forgiving, so Louis continues. "I was afraid. I was so _scared_ , and I don't even remember why. It wasn't even about anyone else, Harry, it was about _you_."

"What're you talking about?" Harry says, cocking his head, his brow furrowed.

"I didn't know if you liked me?" Louis offers, ducking his head down to play with the hem of his shirt. "I didn't know if you wanted me like I wanted you?"

It's quiet, and when Louis looks back up, Harry is staring at him, his gaze completely filled with disbelief. "You're shitting me."

"What?"

"Louis. There is absolutely _no_ way you didn't know how gone I am for you. Everyone in the band knows. Hell, everyone in the _world_ probably knows. There're whole _websites_ dedicated to the way I look at you, okay, you can't give me that bullshit reason for not making a move."

"I--" Louis tries, but he doesn't know what to say, because Harry's completely and totally right. There's no reason why Louis should've ever doubted Harry's feelings, and he feels like an absolute idiot now, just opening and closing his mouth like a fish. "I didn't know." He says finally, and it sounds so stupid coming out of his mouth, but it's true. 

Harry shakes his head and giggles, and then he's laughing, hard, falling back onto the bed. He slaps his hands onto his face, rubbing them up and down. "Oh my _god_." He cries, and sits up again, grinning wide. Louis cocks an eyebrow and Harry rolls his eyes. "Is it not fairly obvious that I love you too?"

"Yeah?" Louis asks, and he can feel butterflies flutter through his stomach as Harry bites his lip and looks at him lovingly. 

"You're a complete dunce." He mutters, and then reaches for Louis, crushing their lips together again. Louis relaxes into him immediately, clinging to him as he slips his tongue against Louis', making them both moan quietly.

 

It's not until about twenty minutes of solid snogging later that Louis manages to break himself off Harry and sigh contently, pressing his fingers into the swallows on his collarbones."What do you think they're doing now?" Harry asks, and Louis shrugs. 

"Fucking, probably." He says, pretty bluntly, and Harry laughs loudly before clamping a hand over his mouth. He tries to turn it into a sort of hacking cough, but Louis just rolls his eyes.

"Think we'll ever match up to them?" Harry asks quietly, once he's calmed down, grinning and raising an eyebrow. He's trying to look cocky, Louis can tell, but he's blushing slightly, like he's scared about what Louis might say back, and that makes Louis' heart skip a beat, because he's so ready to be there with Harry, to be at that level, and there's no reason for Harry to doubt him. He smiles back.

"Y'know, you and me, we're special, yeah?" Louis replies, and Harry nods. "It's like...no matter where, we're always together. Or we always want to be, at least. It's the same love, it feels like."

"...and?" Harry asks, waiting for Louis to continue. 

"Well, if it's the same love, Harold, then we can _definitely_ give them a run for their money." 

Harry chuckles, fingers gently scratching at Louis' scalp. "I love you," he says, and though it's so huge, so much for them right now, though it opens up so many new doors and there's so many ways this can all go wrong, Louis' heart stutters and he sighs happily.

"Me too." He says, kissing Harry's neck. "Always." 

\------

**Author's Note:**

> WHOOP WHOOP
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](http://slashter.tumblr.com) and [Twitter](http://twitter.com/Jaya_Joseph)!


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